


Take Back

by FandomLastsForever



Series: Treasure Dragon Week [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Ancient Artifacts, F/F, Historians, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Roman is only really in this for a second, So this turned into a reverse India Jones/Tomb Raider-ish story that'll probably maybe get a sequel, Stealing, but he had a speaking line so I'm counting him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-27 00:58:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16692346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomLastsForever/pseuds/FandomLastsForever
Summary: After a year of being apart, Yang and Emerald partner up to return an artifact to its original owners. Though Emerald's still a little concerned about her partner's condition.Luckily, things go rather smoothly.





	Take Back

**Author's Note:**

> Day 1 of Treasure Dragon Week! Went with the Historian's AU.

The rain fell hard against the pavement as two pairs of feet leaped from rooftop to rooftop, keeping to the shadows. She wasn't sure how she had gotten roped into this, but Yang wasn't about to turn down an invitation for adventure. And Emerald was always someone who brought that in spades.

Or in this case, diamonds.

Specifically, a diamond encrusted statuette that belonged to a shrine about a hundred years ago in the lost village of Kuroyuri. Remnant's Historical Restoration Society had been sent a request to return it to its rightful owners; a small settlement called Oniyuri and the overseeing Hunter who went by the name Li.

But first, they had to make it to the airship docks before the cops could catch them.

"You sure Mercury is gonna be there?" Yang panted.

"He promised," Emerald said. "If not, you know how to hotwire an airship, right?"

"Yeah, but I'd rather not do so if it can be helped."

Emerald rolled her eyes. "If it can be helped, you won't have to."

Yang smiled and soon they came to the street where she'd hidden Bumblebee. They climbed down the fire escape, hurried to the end of the alleyway, and Emerald took the bag off Yang's back. Under a tarp behind the dumpster was Bumblebee, though Yang had painted it and removed the plates before the mission.

They couldn't be seen.

"So," Emerald mumbled. "You really came back."

Yang tossed her a helmet, trying to focus on the task at hand. "Of course. Thousand year old deity from a lost community within the last hundred years? You think I'm gonna miss out on a bit of history here?"

"No." Emerald set the helmet aside and reached into the bag, pulling the statuette out to examine it closer under a nearby overhang. "Just surprised, given our last job together." She side-eyed Yang, lingering on her right arm. "Does it still hurt? The stump part?"

"Not really. But then again, haven't really felt anything since I got the robot-arm. Most of the pain's gone." She gave her a playful smirk. "What? You still worried about me?"

"You spent a year in recovery while I finished up the dig. Of course I'm still worried." Emerald let out a disgruntled sigh. "Blake still hasn't come back yet."

"Well, she's made her choice."

"And you've made yours?"

"Exactly." Yang slipped on her helmet, starting up the bike. "You coming or what?"

Emerald packed up and got on the back, keeping her arms wrapped rightly around Yang's waist. "Try not to go too fast. It looks like this artifact is pretty delicate."

"Oh yeah?" Yang asked. "What's it made of?"

"It has diamonds, but it's also plated in a lot of soft gold by the look of it." Emerald let out a yelp as Yang sped out of the ally and onto the roads. "How did Jacques get his hands on it in the first place I'll never know."

Yang let out a sound that Emerald could only describe as a disgusted dragon's roar. She hated having to talk about Jacques Schnee. Everyone in the Society did.

"He's a rich asshole," Yang hissed. "Selfish to the core with no respect for historical artifacts."

"Still mad about the vase he had melted down into rings?"

"Don't fucking go there."

Emerald nodded and the rest of the ride continued in relative silence. She closed her eyes, focusing on the data on their cargo to keep her mind off things. Everything that'd go down in her journal the moment they got onto the ship. She'd made it a habit since day one to write down everything she could about whatever artifacts they had to recover. It was soothing.

_Roughly a foot tall, half a foot wide and very well kept. Based on how faded the paint on the wooden base is, I'd wager it was made prior to the Second Crusade. An angelic Grimm-like creature with four wings wearing robes from the time prior to the Great War. Matches the requester's details almost exactly. The only thing missing was the blue diamond that goes in the scepter the figure holds. After we take it back to the lab for data recording we'll return it to Oniyuri._

"You're really good at processing things," Yang teased.

Emerald let out a groan. "I said all that out loud, didn't I?"

"Yep. But I like it when you talk work to me."

"I wasn't talking to you."

"Too bad. I heard it all."

"I hate you."

"Keep telling yourself that."

The bike slowed down as they arrived at the back gates of the docks. The guard stationed there was asleep in his booth, a bottle of brandy dangling from his hand only a centimeter from the ground. leaning against the gate with the keys twirling around his fingers was a familiar ginger haired scoundrel.

This was not part of the job.

"Well, well, well," the scoundrel snickered. "What are you two doing here?"

"What do you want, Torchwick?" Emerald asked, departing from the bike.

He shrugged, pocketing the keys. "An airship of my very own, at the moment. Oh, and maybe some sushi. Could go for a nice tuna roll."

"We're on a job," Yang spat. "Hand over the keys so we can get in, okay Roman?"

Roman pouted and began to pace back and forth. "Gee, where have I heard this before...Oh, I remember! Last month at the-"

"Got it."

Roman stopped and turned to look at Emerald. She had the keys in her hand, a helmet under her arm, and a smirk on her face. One of the many skills she'd perfected over the years was swiping things that didn't belong from others. She made good use of it.

"Tell you what, Roman," she said. "You keep a look out for us to let us know if the cops are coming. Once you see us take off, you and Neo can swipe an airship for whatever you want. And don't lie. I know she's here somewhere. Probably gave the guard that booze."

Roman opened his mouth to argue, only to clam up and adjust his hat. "Very well."

"Thanks."

Emerald unlocked the gate, and the girls quietly entered the ship yard. Or at least, as quietly as a motorbike could be. Yang had opted to keep driving it at a slow pace while Emerald walked beside her. The rain had finally let up, though a fog had slowly begun to settle in. Neither of them liked the fog.

Brought back unpleasant memories.

"Hey Em," Yang said.

"Yeah?"

"You ever wonder if the people from those lost civilizations ever thought about us? Like, not us specifically but...what our world might have been like."

Emerald looked at her, perplexed. "Strange. Never thought of you as the wondering type. Wandering, yes. But wondering?"

Yang let out a snicker. "Just a passing thought I'd been having lately." She nodded to the bag. "That statue...do you think the people who made it ever thought we'd look like that someday? Or maybe they thought that was what we used to look like before falling from grace or whatever."

"Never really put much thought into that. I've always been more on the facts side of things. You've seen my journal, Yang, you know what I think of these things."

"I know but...this is my first job back. Didn't know if you'd changed."

Emerald rolled her eyes, giving her a playful shove. "If I'd changed, I'd have forgotten that you owe me a dinner date."

Yang blushed softly. "You still want that date?"

"Yeah? Just because you've been gone doesn't mean I'm not interested anymore." She put a hand on Yang's shoulder. "Believe it or not, I actually like talking to you and hanging out with you. Be it scrounging up old ruins, stealing back statues, or debating the best way to have fish dinners."

"Good to know, because I intend to get you some decent salmon one of these days."

"I'm holding you to it."

Yang kissed her on the cheek, giving her a wink. "I know you will."

Eventually they made it to the other side of the docks where their ship was waiting. They got aboard, secured the bike, and soon they were airborne. Yang waved out the window to Roman as they flew off toward Anima, and Emerald made herself comfortable on one of the bunks in the corner so she could get to work on sketching the statuette into her book. Chances are Mercury would be coming back to talk to them once they were out of the red zone. In the meantime, they had to stay quiet.

It was going to be a long flight.


End file.
